Why did it have to end?
by Starship T.A.R.D.I.S
Summary: Even the air of the battlefield seemed to freeze. Screams and battle cries faded into nothing. Legolas could only focus on Tauriel. Tauriel and the blood flowing from her side. Tauriel and the arrow she took for him.


Around them, the battle raged. Dwarves, Elves, Men, Orcs, Goblins and Eagles fought in a battle that seemed to last for ages. But in this moment, all seemed still, even the air itself. Battle cries and the screams of the dying faded into nothing. All that Legolas could focus on was the dying Elf in his arms. Tauriel. She had leapt in front of an arrow meant for him, saving the life of Legolas, but ending hers. Legolas could only watch as she crumpled to the ground. The arrow stuck out from her side, a menacing reminder of the death that had happened and the death that was to come. Legolas knelt by Tauriel's side and cradled her dying body in his arms.

"Tauriel." Legolas said, tears in his eyes threatening to spill over. "Why did you do this? Of what more importance am I then you?"

"You are the prince." Tauriel rasped. "It is my sworn duty to protect you." Legolas could see the color fading from her cheeks, the elf in his arms would pass soon. "I am not afraid." Tauriel said quietly, and Legolas had to strain to hear her. "I made my peace with Death long ago."

"But you cannot pass! You cannot leave me, here, alone again!" Legolas cried.

"I must." Tauriel whispered, closing her eyes. "I will never forget you, meleth."

"No, no!" Legolas cried. "Stay with me! Stay with me! Tauriel! TAURIEL!"

The elf prince cradled Tauriel's body in his arms. She loved him. Legolas wept. He loved her. Why could they not share their love? Why did it have to end like this, on a battlefield, surrounded by death? Why did it have to end it all? Tears flowed like streams from the eyes of Legolas. He rocked Tauriel's body in his arms, and whispered words of love and longing to her. The arrow still maimed her side, mocking the prince. The tears of Legolas dampened Tauriel's hair. The elf prince was so overcome with grief that he did not notice the orc behind him. The orc yelled a savage cry that awakened something.

Tauriel's spirit woke with the cry of the orc. Her spirit became enraged at those who would dare to harm her prince. The spirit of Tauriel exited her body, and became something else entirely: a spirit-warrior. The spirit-warrior's blade reached the orc's heart, causing it to fall backwards. Even in death, the Elf-warrior would protect those she loved. The spirit-warrior fought just as bravely as her body had. The earth near her body and her prince was slick with Orc blood when the battle was past. The spirit-warrior sheathed her blades for the last time, and journeyed to Valinor with peace, for she knew her prince was safe.

Thranduil paced the battlefield, overturning every one of his people that had fallen, sadness mixed with relief that his son was not among them. He saw many friends and comrades that passed, but his son was not among them. Thranduil entered where the heart of the battle had been raging. There, he found his son cradling the body of the fire-haired warrior. He walked up to his son, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Legolas." Thranduil said. There was no response from the prince. "_Legolas!_" Thranduil again said, with more urgency. Legolas turned a tear-stained face toward his father.

"Ada, she is dead! Tauriel is dead!"

"I know." Thranduil said gently. "But you are alive, and you need to rest. Come with me."

"Ada, I can't leave her! I can't!" Legolas cried, another wave of tears rolling down his face.

"You must. You must carry on in life for her." Thranduil said.

"No! I can't!" Legolas said. "I—I love her."

"Leoglas, please, please do not fade! Think of me, Estel, your friends. Do not leave me too." Thranduil cried, remembering the pain he felt when his wife died. A soldier walked by the two Elves. Thranduil ordered him to take Tauriel's body. Thranduil half-guided, half forced Legolas to walk to where the Elves had made camp.

Thranduil pushed a bowl of stew and some bread into his son's hands. The Elves would leave the next day, but would send builders and healers to help with the rebuilding of Dale. Thranduil was forced to leave his son so that he could lead his people. Legolas did not move. He did not eat. The only thing he did was stare into the fire and mourn the loss of his love. He could scarcely believe that she was gone. He expected her to appear at his side any minute, like they were making camp in the hunt for orcs.

Legolas thought back to Laketown, where he and Tauriel shared that one, forbidden kiss. They had been waiting for the orcs to come, perched on a rooftop huddled against the cold air whipping through their hair. The lights of Laketown shined below them. Legolas remembered Tauriel telling him something, but her words were caught by the wind, and he could only guess what she had said. But then she kissed him. And he kissed her back. For a moment, the tenseness in his veins gave way to fire. But then the orcs attacked. They were forced to break apart, startled like elflings who were caught stealing sweets. They both knew what they had to do. They fought the orcs, killed half and sent the remainder on the run. But then Tauriel stayed. She had to heal the Dwarf. Legolas was almost expecting it, Tauriel was not one to let the injured die if she could help it, it was in her nature. Legolas left to finish the rest of the orcs, though he had hoped that Tauriel would come with him.

Legolas was jerked back to the present by someone putting a blanket around his shoulders. Above him, the moon was high. He must have dozed off.

"My lord! I did not realize you were awake." a soldier said.

"I am.." Legolas said. "I believe I will go rest properly now." the elf prince made his way to the tent he shared with his father and lain down on his cot. But he could not rest. His only thoughts were of Tauriel. He remembered growing up as an elfling with Tauriel as a friend. He remembered how excited they both had been when they were permitted to join the guard. He remembered how Tauriel had become restless inside the palace walls, and how they would sneak out to the tops of the highest trees and watch the stars. He remembered when he realized that he felt something more then friendship for Tauriel. He wondered why he did not speak to her of his feelings sooner. Why everything had to end in death. Why, why did his beloved Tauriel have to be taken from him so cruelly? Why did she have to die in pain, instead of sailing with him to Valinor? Why? Legolas wept, and fell into a restless sleep.

Legolas was roused by his father, and the Elves then made the day-long trek to the palace of Mirkwood. There, it was another day before the bodies of the fallen were prepared for burial.

The ceremony was short and simple. Tauriel's casket was made of wood, from the very trees she loved. Her body had been cleaned, Tauriel's hair lay braided in her usual style. The blades of Tauriel were placed by her sides, her bow at her feet. Tauriel wore a clean uniform, and a necklace. Legolas recognized the necklace, it was the one he had given to her congratulating her on becoming captain of the guard. He wept. He had meant so much more then what he was able to say with that necklace, and when he did finally say it, Tauriel had passed. When the casket was lowed into the earth, Legolas could only cry. His love was gone, and there was nothing he could do.

Days passed. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. Still Legolas grieved. His grief knew no boundaries. His father would assign him meaningless tasks to keep him busy, but they never distracted him. Except for one task in particular. Legolas was to deliver a message to Lord Elrond of Rivendell. That message was simply "the creature Gollum has escaped." Legolas did not want to leave Mirkwood. He did not want to leave the place where his love lay, where there were so many memories of her. But one memory in particular stood out. The day he had followed Tauriel to a cliff, where she had proclaimed that the Dwarves's fight was our fight. That every creature needed too work together to defeat the Dark. The memory of those words stirred something inside of Legolas. Tauriel would want him to go to Rivendell. She would want him to continue the fight against the Dark, for her. And so Legolas did. He left and fought the Dark. And when he returned, he knew that he had lived on for his love and did what she would have done to honor her.

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><p>Yes, I'm posting a new fic when I haven't updated some of my others in months. Sorry! I haven't gotten around to the other ones and when I saw the image that instpired this fic, I knew I had to write something for it then and there. I tried to make this fit with canon as well as I could make it. What did you think? Let me know in the reviews! Starship T.A.R.D.I.S. out!<p> 


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